Alcohol laws of Kentucky

The location of Kentucky within the United States.
Map of Kentucky counties' wet and dry status. Blue: Wet Counties Yellow: Moist/Limited Counties Orange: Dry Counties (with a winery, golf course, or a qualified historic site) Red: Completely Dry Counties

The alcohol laws of Kentucky, which govern the sale and consumption of alcoholic beverages in that state, lead to a patchwork of counties that are either dry (prohibiting all sale of alcoholic beverage), or wet (permitting full retail sales under state license), or "moist" (occupying a middle ground between the two). A justice of the Kentucky Supreme Court wrote in 1985 that the state's alcohol laws were a "maze of obscure statutory language" and "confusing at best." The general counsel of the Kentucky Office of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) noted in 2012, "That's still the case."[1] This led Kentucky governor Steve Beshear to appoint a task force in summer 2012 to attempt to streamline the state's alcohol laws.[1]

  1. ^ a b Brammer, Jack (August 10, 2012). "Want to buy or sell an alcoholic drink in Kentucky? That'll depend on where you are". Lexington Herald-Leader. Retrieved August 24, 2012.